Saturday, July 28, 2012

Sure Was Rainy Today!

Chances are, you spent much of today indoors, somewhere dry, and possibly either assembling a house out of popsicle sticks or on the computer. Rain is nothing new, but computers are; now, we can share more information about anything, including something as simple as rain, than ever.

West Rock Avenue in the 1980's after flooding

New Haven is no stranger to flooding, and one area that receives the worst could be the area surrounding the West River. That's because it's a low-elevation area. There are several dams north on Route 69 and Route 63, which are both roads that split from Whalley Avenue. Those dams affect the volume of the West River.

The river tends to flood when it rains heavily. If the dam breaches, Westville suffers immense damage.

Here are some pictures taken by Victoria Applegate, a typesetter and choir director at a Catholic Church in the 1980's. These were taken with her analog Canon single lens reflex camera.

Rain can affect peoples' lives greatly. Water, just in a broad sense, is vital to the survival of human beings. Too much is clearly a problem, in the case of flooding. But in the event of droughts in the MidWest USA this year (2012), the lack of rain is equally as devistating.